When I was young, I hated my body. Not all of my body, just some of it. I hated that I had large breasts. From the third grade on, I made sure that whatever I was wearing did not accentuate my bust. I wore loose shirts, lots of layers, and cringed whenever I had to walk in front of anyone. It is only very recently that I have decided that I don’t care–and so now I wear clothing that would have been impossible only a few years ago.

When I look at women I know, some of them dislike something about their body. Recently, a friend of mine wrote on her Facebook page that she hates her “huge” forehead. I can’t speak about my friend’s hatred of her forehead, but I can speak about how society’s meta-messages have impacted my own image of my body.

My negative body image was part of the reason that I was concerned when I learned my daughter’s middle school was instigating a policy requiring students to wear uniforms. Even so, it wasn’t until I attended the school’s parent informational meeting that I became alarmed. I realized the uniform policy was doing more than teaching women to hate their bodies. School policies requiring uniforms are part of the larger societal mechanism that not only teaches women to hate their bodies but requires women to be invisible and silent.

Where is your moral compass pointing? What are your social values? Hark will explore faith, morals, ethics and character at the intersection of religion ethics, culture, politics, media, science, education, economics and philosophy. At times this blog will alert readers to breaking news and trends. At times it will attempt to look more deeply into intriguing subjects. Hark means to listen attentively, and we will, as readers talk back to the news.